The main purpose of these handbooks is to help facilitate the survey, collection, and handling of potential ROD-listed fungal species by the Forest Service and BLM employees. Each species is represented by a condensed description, a set of distinguishing features, and information on substrate, habitat, and seasonality. These guides also often present a list of known sites within the range of the northern spotted owl, a distribution map, and additional references to introduce the available literature on particular species. Some of the documents contain photographs of species, particularly fungi, which had never before been published in a field guide.